2025 Year in Review (And 2026 Goals)

I am actually glad to be closing the chapter to the 2025 year.

While it wasn’t our best year ever, I’m not mad about how much it taught us. We were actually able to learn several valuable lessons during our hardships in 2025, and moving ahead into this new year, we are looking at things quite differently.

We had tremendous loss in 2025 - losing 4 or 5 cows to illness (I lost count after the 3rd), having 3 escape that cost us well over $1k in expenses to get back (including hiring a couple cowboys to catch and retrieve), losing several hens to predators, which led us to getting rid of our entire laying flock, losing 300 meat birds in one night to a catastrophic event, losing another close to 100 meat birds another night, losing almost all of our quail & pheasants another night.. It just wasn’t our best year for animals. Lots of lessons learned!

Sometimes farming can really make us question.
Questioning things like are we really meant to do this? Are we doing too much? Not enough? Not the right niche? Is this too much for us to manage? Do we really have the time to do this?

All of these are questions we need to ponder & consider.
I think one of the reasons I really covet our customers feedback is so we know with certainty we are doing the right thing. This is the main reason we quit doing CSA boxes a few years ago, and pivoted to just berries & beef. That led us to doing more pastured chicken & turkey as well. There is more demand, and we couldn’t ignore that!

So one of our goals looking into 2026 is to increase our time management skills. The goal is to work smarter, not harder.

We are aiming to increase our pastured chicken sales, continue on with grass-fed beef and pork, and replant our beloved raspberries like we had been hoping to do the past 4-5 years.

These things can only succeed if we have the customer base to purchase. And only time will tell if that’s the case.

Our goal is to scale back the amount of different animals we raised last year, and focus on the ones that do really well here at our farm. We also have a big goal of adding more videos to our YouTube channel. Make sure you’re subscribed over there so you don’t miss any updates! I also have a dairy cow who is likely due to calf in April or early May. So adding the chore of milking daily & dealing with lots of raw milk is on the list to learn!

We will soon be opening up deposits for beef, whole chickens, and pork. Purchasing in bulk from your local farmer supports and strengthens the whole community. Your support literally puts food on our table & yours. And we value you.

We are hoping 2026 is the year we “figure things out” and see what really does well here at Berryhill, and devote our time & best attention at doing those things well.

All of us are so incredibly thankful for your continued support in 2025. Every purchase, share, comment, subscription, like, engagement, and the telling of a friend brings support to our business and we wouldn’t be able to continue without you.

We love our community and love what we do. Here’s to hoping we do it even better in 2026. Serving you all is at the top of our list and we cannot wait for a new year of growth, realignment, & success.

The top of our list:
Plant raspberries.
Get cows.
Order 300 meat chicks.
Get 3 more hogs.
Streamline meat cut sales.
Countdown to blueberries!

Happy 2026! Praying it’s your best year yet! And ours too.

Chris & Sarah

Crockpot Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Soups are a staple around here, and if I can find a way to utilize my crockpot this time of year, I absolutely do. I knew I’d want a slow cooker for this recipe, because it uses wild rice which can be a bit tricky to get right. You have to allow this recipe to slow cook for a good 8-10 hours for the rice to be perfect.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:
3 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup diced onion
2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS Italian seasoning (from azure standard is the best!)
4 quarts chicken bone broth
1.5 cups wild rice (Fundberg brand recommended)

Instructions:
Dump all ingredients into crockpot and cook on low for at least 8 hours. I like to taste it after about 7-8 hours and see how the rice is. The soup is done and ready to serve once the rice is tender.
Take the chicken out and shred it, adding it back to the crockpot right away. Let finish slow cooking until rice is ready.

Salt & pepper the soup to taste. I don’t include this in the recipe list because its completely preferential. If your bone broth is salty, adjust accordingly. If you’re unsure, start with 2 teaspoons when adding all ingredients to the crockpot.

This recipe serves a crowd. It will fill the standard size crockpot. Feel free to split the recipe in half if you are a smaller family of 4 or so, or just freeze the leftovers, OR have lunch prepped all week haha.

I like to garnish with parsley flakes and serve with sourdough bread.

Enjoy!

30 Minute Cheeseburger Soup

We are a family that loves cheeseburgers. We rotate between grilled burgers in the summer, but in the winter we absolutely love this Cheeseburger soup. It’s a rotation we eat often, and I’m sure your family will love it too!

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup onion, diced
2 TBS garlic powder
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 TBS Italian seasoning
1/2 cup flour
2 quarts bone broth
2 cups diced potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes or Rotel
1 cup cream or half & half
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Optional toppings: diced pickles, sourdough croutons, crispy onions, bacon bits, shredded cheddar

Instructions:
Start by browning the ground meat along with the diced onion. While this is browning, add your garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt & pepper.
Once the meat is brown, sprinkle evenly with flour. Stir to coat all of the meat with the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. This will start to look thick and dry - thats ok!
After 2-3 minutes, add the milk. Stir, and you will start to see the meat mixture become creamy. Slowly add the bone broth, stirring continuously until the mixture becomes more of a creamy soup consistency.
Next, add your diced potatoes & tomatoes and simmer until the potatoes are soft. If you dice your potatoes small enough (I do about half an inch) they will cook pretty fast.
Finally, once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat. Add your cheddar cheese and sir until melted in.

Serve with classic cheeseburger toppings!
This recipe is very adaptable. If you’d rather leave out the tomatoes, you can, and simply make that a topping instead. If you don’t want to add the potatoes, that’s fine too! Serve with sourdough bread instead. You can also use any broth and any milk alternative. The most important part is creating the roux by adding flour to the meat, cooking it, and then adding a liquid to make it creamy.

You can also substitute the flour for a gluten free 1:1 all purpose flour.

Enjoy!

Easy Sourdough Artisan Loaf

I’m not sure why it took me so long to get started making sourdough, but I’m so glad the me 4 years ago decided to give it a try. Something about just flour & water intrigued me and felt so simple.

And truly, it is!
I know it can seem intimidating, but believe me if you know me, you know I like simple and chill. Lol.

Here’s how I make a simply loaf of sourdough. This makes a classic round artisan loaf known as a Boule.

I’m going to assume you know what basic terms mean like scoring, stretching and folding, etc. But if you aren’t familiar, a simple quick search on Youtube will answer those questions fast!

What you’ll need:
50g active bubbly starter
300g clean water (room temp)
500g unbleached flour
10g salt
Food scale
Large bowl

Start by feeding your sourdough about 4-6 hours before you want to make up your dough. I typically feed my starter around the time when I am prepping dinner. This way its active and ready for me to mix up the dough before I go to bed, and it’s ready to bake some time the next morning. But you can also feed it before bed, stick it in a cool spot, and mix up dough in the morning….for evening baking.

Once you have fed, active starter, you’ll get your large bowl and weigh out the 300g water. Add 50g starter and it should float. This is how you know it’s active and ready!

Next, add the 500g flour and 10g salt. Mix well, but know that it is going to remain a chunky, shaggy dough for a bit. Cover, and let sit for 20 mins.

After 20 mins, stretch & fold your dough. Fold it on top of itself 3-4 times and then cover again. Now, you can do this step 2-4 times. Not a requirement, but definitely helps make a nice, airy, perfectly risen loaf. Sometimes I do all 3 stretches, sometimes I only do one.

Let sit covered on the counter for 12-14 hours.

The next day, preheat your oven to 435 degrees. While that is preheating, empty your dough on to a lightly floured surface. Stretch it out so you can fold it onto itself in thirds. Basically, you’re making a flat square an folding one side into the middle, and then the other side onto it, making 3 folded sections.

Then turn length wise and roll your dough up like a sleeping bag. At this point, you will begin doing a few “push/pulls” on the counter. Use your two palms to push the ball of dough away, and then do a quarter turn, and use your fingers to “pull” it to you. You are creating tension against the counter top. Do this several times over and over and then place your dough upside down in a proofing bowl. This is just any size bowl thats just a tad bigger than the loaf. Let sit while the oven preheats.

After about 20 mins of proofing, turn your dough out onto parchment paper. Score the loaf and place into a dutch oven (lid needed).

Bake at 435 degrees with the lid on for 23 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake an additional 23-25 minutes until the top is a nice golden color.

Remove, let cool, and slice into your delicious homemade sourdough.

All things Elderberry

Last year, I started making elderberry syrup and selling it right out of our little self-serve farm store. It was such a huge hit — jars were flying off the shelves, and I heard from so many of you who loved having a simple, homemade way to support your family’s wellness through the season.

This year, I decided to try something new — elderberry gummies! My kids absolutely love them, and honestly, that’s what inspired me to make them for you all, too. They’re sweet, chewy, and packed with all the goodness of elderberries, made right here in my kitchen with wholesome ingredients you can feel good about.

If you’re new to elderberry, it’s one of those old-fashioned remedies that’s been trusted for generations. Elderberries are known for:

• Immune support: They’re rich in antioxidants and vitamins that help strengthen your body’s natural defenses.

• Soothing seasonal support: Many people find them helpful during cold and flu season.

• Wholesome ingredients: No artificial dyes, no fillers — just real food made with love.

Whether you prefer the classic syrup or the fun gummies, these elderberry products are a simple, tasty way to keep your family feeling their best — and to enjoy something made right here on our farm.

Click on the image to shop!